Exploring Pakistani Physicians' Knowledge and Practices Regarding High Alert Medications: Findings and Implications

Area of Science:

• Medical Science
• Patient Safety
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Unsafe medication use, particularly with high alert medications (HAMs), compromises patient safety and quality of care in low-middle income countries (LMICs).
• Physicians play a critical role in medication administration and regulation, yet their awareness and practices regarding HAMs in Pakistan remain largely unassessed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the knowledge of Pakistani physicians regarding the administration, regulation, and practices related to high alert medications (HAMs).
• To identify factors associated with physicians' knowledge and practices concerning HAMs.

Main Methods:

• An online cross-sectional study was conducted with 847 physicians across Pakistan from January 1 to May 30, 2021.
• Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS 22 for Windows.

Main Results:

• Physicians demonstrated moderate knowledge of HAMs administration and regulation, with approximately 46.4% having moderate knowledge.
• Increasing age, work experience, and higher qualifications were significantly associated with better HAMs knowledge (p < 0.05).
• While 58% of physicians reported good practices related to HAMs, overall practices were suboptimal, though scores improved with experience and qualifications (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Pakistani physicians exhibit moderate knowledge but suboptimal practices concerning high alert medications.
• Enhancing HAMs awareness is essential, requiring curriculum integration, continuous hospital-based training, and multidisciplinary healthcare teams for improved medication safety.